Thursday, May 12, 2011

Sabata (1969)

Plot: Several pillars of society have robbed an Army safe containing $100,000 so they can buy the land upon which the coming railroad will be built. But they haven't reckoned on the presence of the master gunslinger, Sabata.

Lee Van Cleef proves once again that he's got what it takes to carry a picture. Spaghetti Westerns made him a huge star, a genre he rode many, many times. He made the first two pictures in the SABATA trilogy (Yul Brynner took the role in the third). None of them will make my top 10 Spags but this one at least fits nicely in the top 20 and Cleef has a lot to do with it. William Berger (as Banjo) looks like an aging hippie but you've gotta love what he can do with that banjo of his. Sabata's companions provide a little bit of comedy, the story is fun and well-paced and and Marcello Giombini's score is upbeat and catchy. Can't ask for much more than that. SABATA is a good start to a much better than average Spaghetti Western series.